After two years of virtual hosting and last year's award ceremony held simultaneously in Tokyo, Macao, and Bangkok, Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2023 returned to a singular in-person event held in Singapore. This fabulous event, held from March 25th until the 28th, welcomed members of the gastronomic community across Asia.
Tokyo-based restaurant Sézanne was awarded second place this year, moving up from its 17th-place ranking in 2022. Impressively placing in the top 20 best restaurants in Asia for their first year entering, Michelin star Chef Daniel Calvert showed his skills and expertise in fusing classic and modern French cuisine.
Shinobu Namae, head chef and owner of the Tokyo-based L'Effervescence restaurant, was bestowed the Icon Award 2023 and recognized for his leadership in Japan's movement of sustainable cooking, advocating for a closer connection between restaurants, nature, and farmers, as well as for promoting food research and academics. Namae is genuinely a respected chef in his field, striving to reduce fine dining's impact on climate change, and urges his cohorts to do the same.
Hiroyasu Kawate, head chef and owner of the Tokyo-based restaurant Florilège, was voted by his peers in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2023 list to be the recipient of the "Inedit Damm Chefs' Choice Award." With his parents owning a Western-style restaurant in Japan and his brother and cousin also choosing to enter the culinary field, it is no surprise that Kawate soon dove into the kitchen.
The Winners from Japan
These ten Japan-based restaurants earned their place on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2023 list.
No.44 L'Effervescence Tokyo, Japan
No.32 Cenci Kyoto, Japan
No.20 Ode Tokyo, Japan
No.14 Villa Aida Wakayama, Japan
No.12 Sazenka Tokyo, Japan
No.10 Narisawa Tokyo, Japan
No.8 La Cime Osaka, Japan
No.7 Florilège Tokyo, Japan
No.4 Den Tokyo, Japan
No.2 Sézanne Tokyo, Japan
For a list of Japan winners from 2022, read our blog on Asia's Best Restaurants 2022.
